''Lackawanna Blues'' is an American

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

written by

Ruben Santiago-Hudson Ruben Santiago-Hudson (born Ruben Santiago Jr., November 24, 1956) is an American actor, playwright, and director who has won national awards for his work in all three categories. He is best known for his role of Captain Roy Montgomery from 20 ...

that premiered in 2001. It was later adapted as a

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

that aired in 2005. The play dramatizes the character of the author's primary caregiver when he was growing up in

Lackawanna, New York Lackawanna is a city in Erie County, New York, United States, just south of the city of Buffalo in western New York State. The population was 19,949 at the 2020 census. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in New York, growing in populat ...

, during the 1950s and 1960s.

Play

The play debuted off Broadway April 14, 2001, at the Joseph Papp Theater in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

.Weber, Bruce. "Thanks, Miss Rachel, Thanks for Raising Me", ''New York Times.'' April 17, 2001."Santiago-Hudson's Got the Lackawanna Blues at the Public, April 14." ''Playbill.'' April 14, 2001.
/ref> It was directed by

Loretta Greco Loretta is a female given name, the masculine version being Lauro. The name derives its name from the laurel tree which is symbolic of victory. This name is Italian in origin; it was popularized in the United States in the 1930s. It has many vari ...

, produced by George C. Wolfe, and the executive producer was Fran Reiter. Rosemarie Tichler was the artistic producer. The play is a montage of reminiscences, memories, testimonials and '' roman a clefs'' of "Miss Rachel," or Nanny, as the young Ruben Santiago, Jr. calls her. Largely abandoned by his parents, Ruben finds that Nanny becomes his surrogate family. Various incidents in Ruben's and Nanny's life are portrayed, with a large cast of quirky minor characters—friends, boarders, family members, visitors, relatives, and so on—providing commentary on Nanny's strength of character, intelligence, and morality. The play included several songs, either sung by the characters in the play or as ambient music heard via a radio or through a window. The late Bill Sims Jr. provided the original music, as well as performing on-stage acoustic guitar for the play. ''Lackawanna Blues'' is intended to be a one-man show. The actor narrating the play (an adult Ruben) was intended to portray more than 20 other characters, as well as the starring role of the young Ruben. The play was very well received. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' called it a "tour de force." Playwright

won an OBIE special citation for ''Lackawanna Blues,'' while Bill Sims, Jr. won an OBIE for his music. ''Lackawanna Blues'' began previews on Broadway at the

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, formerly the Biltmore Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 261 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the neo-Renai ...

on September 14, 2021 and originally was set to open on September 28. However, on September 24, two previews were cancelled because Santiago-Hudson suffered from a back injury. The play's opening was delayed two days later to September 30. To give Santiago-Hudson time to recuperate, the show was then set to open on October 7; after further performance cancellations, performances resumed on October 12.

Film version

A television film adaptation aired on HBO on February 12, 2005. The film was directed by George C. Wolfe, who had commissioned the stage version. For her work in the movie, S. Epatha Merkerson won a Best Actress Golden Globe,

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

, and Emmy Award in 2006.

References

External links

Bill Sims, Jr. Web site (including a page on ''Lackawanna Blues'')
*{{iobdb show} 2001 plays Off-Broadway plays American plays adapted into films Autobiographical plays Plays for one performer